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Photo of the day: Squeaky cheese

If you’ve ever passed the yellow-and-red plywood sign on Tamiami Trail that reads “FRESH cheese curds today,” you’ve probably wondered what strange concoction some entrepreneur was selling. Although the thought of a ‘curd’ may deter drivers from stopping at Greenleaf Cheese, we think it’s worth the trip.

Greenleaf’s cheese curds, imported from Wisconsin, have a mild flavor with the same firmness as cheese but produce a rubbery texture and often squeak against the teeth when bitten.

During the whey-draining process and before the cheese is compacted into blocks, the curds are removed. This is usually the time when dairies and cheese shops put their “fresh curds” sign out on the sidewalk.

“We started the sign one day three years ago,” said Karl Nelson, owner of Greenleaf Cheese. “Some dairies in Wisconsin get 600 people to gather for fresh cheese curds.”